


She Said No ( working title )

by Daywriter106



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Avenger Loki (Marvel), F/M, Humor, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Has Issues, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25617097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daywriter106/pseuds/Daywriter106
Summary: Loki has finally found a woman able to tell him no. To find humor in his flirting. To shrug off his wandering hands.At first he finds it amusing as he seeks his pleasures everywhere else. However as he slowly finds himself drawing closer to her he sees less humor in her ability to remain seemingly indifferent to him.Overheard words lead him to the knowledge that his little mortal isn't as indifferent as she appears. Unfortunately that only causes Loki to feel his mortal is prey to his hunter, which leads to a tragedy that breaks her.Can Loki ever understand the damage he's done? Can he learn to repair it? And can he earn the right to even make the attempt?
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> How are you liking Lauren?  
> Is she a strong enough female lead?  
> Is she realistic?  
> How about Loki, does he feel realistic? Can you see him thinking this way? Feeling these emotions?  
> Thanks for any comments.

Lauren was trying to get to her first day of work early. She had arrived at 4:30 when she started at 5:00 because she wanted to have time to settle in without the pressure of anyone watching her. She just needed those few extra minutes to take a breath and be there first. To see the others walk in rather than having to walk in with strangers eyes on her. With her trying to figure out where her purse went or her sweater while being watched. Not that the Avenger's were strangers, she technically knew who they were. She'd seen them on TV, just like everyone else. But being in their home would be something totally different.

So when she came around the corner of the Tower and saw that there was a line of employees shuffling their way through several sets of double doors she mentally groaned but quickly joined in. She had her badge out, carefully watching everyone else to make sure she was holding it correctly so it could be automatically scanned. She still had to ease her way, single file, through the metal detectors and the other sensors then past the security guards. 

Once that gauntlet was finished she found herself in line again waiting for one of the employee elevators. This was nothing like it had been during her final interview. She had entered from the public side and breezed through and right to the Tower Human Resources Office. She had interviewed with three very professional people and several days later been offered the job. Another visit had gotten her an employee ID on a gold lanyard with red trim and a walk through of this area. At the time it had been nearly empty.

Now she finally made it into an elevator to find herself in the middle and no where close enough to push the button she needed for her floor. There were others who were in the same predicament as her, they simply called out the floor number they needed.

"Seventy-eight, please."

What little talking that had been going on stopped and Lauren felt and saw nearly everyone turn their attention to her. She became aware as more than one person looked her up and down, taking her appearance in. She herself knew what everyone was seeing. A twenty-three year old average white girl with average brown hair and brown eyes that she could sometimes pretend had lighter gold in them. At five foot five she had just enough weight on her to agree with her doctor that she needed to lose weight. Though they disagreed with how exactly to do that since Lauren wasn't about to cut out the chocolate food group. It was her whole pyramids foundation and she wasn't about to destroy it.

Today she was dressed in black slacks and a loose, cotton dress shirt. Comfortable shoes finished it off since she would be on her feet, she had been told to dress casual. Now she could see those looking at her were wondering what in the world she would be doing riding up higher than any of them to get off on Tony Stark's floor.

A male voice asked sarcastically, "Seriously, what floor, lady?"

"Seventy-eight. Seriously." Lauren's voice was still pleasant though she felt her face flush. Several people got off at the first stop and there was enough movement of bodies that she was able to see better.

"Yeah. Okay." The voice was full of disbelief.

Lauren was able to see the man. Unlike Lauren there was nothing average about him. He wore a suit, an expensive one and was obviously someone who probably felt he shouldn't even be riding the elevator with someone like her. His haircut was razer sharp and expensive.

Lauren glanced at the elevator buttons. No one had pushed hers yet and she still couldn't reach. She would wait till more got off before hitting it.

"Good morning, Miss Lauren and welcome to your first day." J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice came smoothly over the speakers though everyone still jumped. "Would you like me to select Mr. Stark's floor?"

Lauren was just as surprised as everyone else but was beyond thrilled that she was able to keep it off her face and out of her voice as she answered, "Yes, J.A.R.V.I.S. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Miss Lauren."

There was thundering silence in the elevator. No one seemed to want to move. There was the sound of clothing rustling as the elevator moved but everyone appeared frozen in place. Then came the next stop and the doors opened and bodies spilled out. Lauren wondered if some people got off even if it wasn't their floor. 

Each floor emptied the elevator, even the loud mouthed guy got off without even looking at Lauren. She really, really wanted to make a snarky comment, like telling him to have a nice day or something but thought that probably wasn't a good way to start her first day. Shoot, her first elevator ride to her first day.

Getting off the elevator the floor was dim, lit only by faint lighting. An elevator soundlessly opened that was on another wall in front of her and she entered that one. It was a privet one that would take her right to the common room and the kitchen. Where she would start her first day as the Avenger's first Official Chef.

It was a short ride and she spent it finishing her plan for the morning. Which would be taking an inventory of what was actually in the kitchen. What food there was. No one seemed to know and it was no ones job to find out. There had been an unknown issue and Pepper had caused the order to go for the hiring of a chef. And here she was. Ready to face her first day.

The elevator opened and Lauren looked up. Her brain refused to count the number of people in the room, or the number of eyes that all seemed to focus on her but she knew it was a lot. A lot more than none which was what she was expecting since she knew, knew, with out a doubt, that she was not late and there should be no one actually waiting for her. She finally thought to step out of the elevator and walk forward.

The whole floor itself was still dim, there were a couple bodies laying on couches, some sprawled over chairs while one sat on a stool at a counter in the kitchen. Some sat up, rolled over or turned around but they all focused on Lauren as she walked in.

She forced a smile on her face, "Hello, Avengers. I'm Lauren."

Lauren continued walking into the room, she refused to allow her feet to stop until she was right in the middle of them. As she was walking her brain took a quick inventory. 

Brown haired guy with muscles in tank top and sweats laying with his head on the woman's lap was an unknown. The woman was an unknown as well.

There was another brown haired man with an open face, he wore glasses and looked nice. Lauren recognized him as Dr. Banner, he was a science wiz for the group.

There was an African American man laying in a chair, he was starting to grin at her as she got closer. He must be Sam Wilson, she had read about him when he joined the group and been impressed with his background of helping veterans.

And then the man at the bar stool stood up an Lauren recognized him right away. It was impossible not to.

"Good morning ma'am. I'm Steve Rogers," he said as he walked forward as he held out a hand. He had a faint smile on his face. "I hope you don't mind us waiting for you, some of us just got back and we were hoping you might be willing to throw something together for us?" Even in the dimness she could see him flush slightly as he ran a hand over the back of his neck and through his hair. "If not we can always find something ourselves. It's not trouble."

"Yes it issss." A voice came loudly from the couch. The brown haired man who promptly got slapped across his abs by the woman. "Owww." He scowled up at the woman. "I'm starving to death and there's nothing to eat."

Lauren felt the tension she was holding inside herself ease as she grinned. "Okay, well we can't have anyone starving to death on my watch, now can we?" She felt confidence come back into her bones as she moved into the kitchen, shoving her purse in a corner. "Lets see what we have and go from there."

She opened the huge double fridge and stared. It was for all intents and purposes empty. A few containers of yogurt, half a jar of peanut butter, a nearly empty container of milk, a package of won ton wrappers, several limp carrots, coffee creamer, containers of cottage cheese and a rather small pumpkin. Several take out containers sat on shelves, Lauren opened one. It was empty. She turned around and looked at the group and held up the empty container to show them with a questioning expression.

"Hey!" Sam called out. "Who ate my pasta?" Sam twisted in his chair to look over his shoulder at a far away couch. "Barnes!"

A low and rumbly voice came from the darkness. "That was from like, a week ago, man." Lauren suddenly wondered how many more people were hidden in the dark. "You didn't want it anyway or you would have ate it."

"Doesn't matter. It's the principle of the thing. You never eat another man's pasta."

There was a rude sound from the dark and chuckles from some in the room. Steve folded his arms while he shook his head as if he were an exhausted parent, which he looked like.

Lauren shook her own head with a smile while throwing out the container, she had an a idea the other would be empty too. But cleaning the fridge would come later. Now everyone needed food. And coffee. She frowned. They had to know how to make coffee. She started opening cabinets, they were mostly bare as well. After going through all of them she found no coffee. Empty cereal boxes but no coffee. Empty oatmeal containers, pop tart boxes, and all sorts of snack boxes and containers. But nothing actually edible.

She turned to look at them in amazement. "You know, couch potato is right. There actually is nothing to eat in here. You're all going to starve to death."

There were various dramatic groans along with soft laughter. Steve spoke up from where he was leaning against the counter, looking embarrassed, "We've been gone for a while and it just didn't make sense to shop. Then one or two of us would come back and it was easier to just order take out. But we've been going on shorter missions and there's more of us at home so," he shrugged. 

"You needed a Nutritional Administrator. Or, a chef who's going to make sure there's food when you want to eat." Lauren grinned at the cheers and scattered claps.

"Is that your title? Nutritional Administrator?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Pretty fancy, huh? Means I can do this." Lauren looked up though she had ben told she didn't need to. "Good morning again, J.A.R.V.I.S."

"Good Morning, Miss Lauren. I hope your morning has improved?"

"Oh absolutely." She noticed Steve's raised eyebrow and slight look of concern and waved it away carelessly. He made a note to ask J.A.R.V.I.S. later. "The commissary downstairs has started prep for the day. Please place a breakfast order of the following."

Lauren went through each person in the room, making sure to learn their name. She learned the couch potato was Clint Barton. He was an Avenger but she had no idea what he did. The woman introduced herself as Natasha with nothing further and Lauren made sure to not even give the slightest hint of wanting to know what she did. Sam was fun and flirty, inviting her to order her own breakfast so they could eat together. Bruce was quiet but sure that he just wanted a healthy breakfast and decaf coffee. And a side of bacon. Steve took her over to the couch in the dark and introduced her to a man who stood up as she came closer.

He was large, broad at the shoulders and narrow at the hips, just like the gunfighter ballad sang about. Lauren had to make herself focus on the introduction, his name was Bucky and seemed to hesitate when she held her hand out. His hand finally quickly came out as if to make up the lost seconds or to make sure she didn't have time to drop hers. He was still in the shadows but she knew she'd recognize him again from his build and his shoulder length hair. And of course his voice.

Once everyone's order was placed Lauren added three more basic breakfasts and black coffees and then it was just time to wait. It should have been uncomfortable, and Lauren knew it could get there very quickly if she didn't push her natural desire of wanting to be behind the scenes, well, behind her. She grabbed a pen and small note pad from her purse, opening to a clean page.

"So." She took a deep breath. "I should get started while I have you here. I'm sure after you eat you're all going to want to go do your own thing."

"Sleep!" Clint called out.

"You always want to sleep." Sam said with a head shake.

"No I don't." Clint stretched out like a lazy cat. "Only when I've been awake for days."

"Then you should absolutely sleep after you eat. Its really not good for your health to stay wake for extended periods of time." Lauren couldn't see Clint because he was laying down and she was looking down as she wrote everyone's name on a separate page. The silence in the room was what made her look up.

Clint had sat up on the couch and was looking at her. In fact she could see everyone but Bucky staring at her but she had the feeling of his eyes on her too. "What?"

Sam chuckled, "Looks like you got competition for Mother Hen, Cap."

Lauren rolled her eyes, "Its just a fact of life. You need sleep to be healthy."

"Uh huh. Yep."

Clint lay back down on Nat's lap with a snicker, a moment later he grunted as she poked him somewhere. "Oww."

"All right. Back on target." She didn't see the raised eyebrows at her choice of wording as she flipped back to her first page. "Start telling me what kinds of food you like."

It was a beautiful chaos. Voices started out by calling out breakfast foods they liked since that's what they were eating and it went on from there. The only one who was absolutely silent was Bucky, even Bruce added his own favorites once breakfast arrived via the elevator and they all piled around the large table. The recyclable containers filled a half dozen large paper bags and they sorted through them, passing multiple boxes out to the super soldiers.

Lauren sat eating her own breakfast but mainly writing on each persons page what food they liked. She had Steve on her right and Bruce on her left which was perfect. Bruce was quiet so with him sitting next to her he could simply lean closer and add a word or two. And Steve made sure to tell her what Bucky liked so his page wasn't too empty.

"Okay," she turned to another blank page. "Dislikes?"

"Vegetables!" Clint yelled out. Nat poked him in the arm with her fork. "Oww. Stop poking me Nat." She raised an eyebrow at him and deliberately poked her fork into a potato square and ate it, all while staring him in the eyes. He rubbed his arm, "I don't like vegetables." He muttered.

Lauren kept her smile small, "Okay, no vegetables for Clint. Though you've never had my vegetables." She winked at him then looked around at the rest, "any allergies?"

They spent the rest of breakfast this way and by the time everyone was finished poking at the last of their food and anything left in anyone else's box, Lauren had more than enough to keep her busy for the rest of the day. Everyone helped clean up or at least handed someone their box so that person could clean up. In short order Lauren found herself saying good morning and good night to nearly everyone as they shuffled out, thanking her for arranging breakfast and promising to see her for either lunch or dinner.

Finally the only ones left besides her were Steve and Bucky who hung out farther away, hands shoved into his jeans. Steve gave her a slight smile, "you did a good job this morning considering we kind of ambushed you."

"Kind of?" Lauren laughed to make it clear her words held no bite. "You have no idea how intimidated I was to see the Avengers all looking at me when I first stepped out this morning. I'm just glad I wasn't talking to myself."

"Oh? You do that often?"

"All the time. Just ignore me."

Steve nodded. "Well you handled yourself like a champ. You'll do just fine here."

"Well thank you. I feel the same, you guys have made me welcome, I appreciate that."

Steve nodded, "again, it was a pleasure to meet you and I'll see you later." He turned and headed out of the kitchen, "You have a good day."

Lauren watched as both he and Bucky got on the elevator and gave them a quick wave. She stood in the silence for a long moment, just listening to the sounds. There were the normal ones she expected, the very faint hum of the fridge and what could be the sound of air from the vents. Then there were other sounds that she didn't know what they went to, tics and pings. Each building had their own and she supposed she would get used to this ones.

She leaned on the counter and rested her head on it for a moment, enjoying the coolness. Standing up she looked around and took everything in. At the time of her hiring there had been no opportunity to be given a tour. No one in the building had clearance, the Avengers had been out, and Tony and Pepper had been out of town. Lauren wondered why no one had let J.A.R.V.I.S. show her around.

She looked over the equipment, the pots and pans and all the gadgets. There seemed to be at least one of every kind, ninety-nine percent still sealed in boxes. The stove was beautiful, built in grills and six cook burners. She could cook something different for nearly everyone at the same time. There were three ovens, one an industrial size. She was amazed at the fact that only one looked used.

Shaking her head she went back to the counter and picked up her list, thinking about rewriting it when J.A.R.V.I.S. spoke. "Miss Lauren, would you like me to organize this mornings notes and print them out for you?"

Lauren jumped slightly then stared upwards. "You can do that? Of course you can do that." She grinned. "That would be amazing and wonderful. Would you have any idea of what Mr. Stark would want on his list?"

"I can compile a list of Sirs likes and dislikes. I can do one for Mr. Odinson as well although I have yet to observe that he has any dislikes."

"No dislikes?" Lauren asked in disbelief. "None?"

"No. He seems to enjoy all variety of foods and beverages."

Lauren's eyes widened. "Wow, okay then. How about a list of any obvious favorites and I'll make sure I get plenty of them."

"I'm sure he would be very appreciative of that."

Lauren looked thoughtful. "And Loki? What about a list for him?"

There was an almost imperceptible hesitation. "He does not generally eat within the Tower Residence. He states there is rarely anything to his liking."

"Well, if he would have looked for something to eat this morning I would have to probably agree with him. So if you have anyway to make a list for him, go ahead and print one out as well. I'll go over everything and see what we we've got." She turned to look at the fridge and cabinets. "But first, time to clean everything out so we can start fresh."

She started by clearing everything out of the fridge, she'd been right that the take out boxes had either been empty or nearly so. "Who puts empty take out boxes back in the fridge?" She shook her head. "Bucky." She smiled while she smashed them and threw them in the trash. Setting the rest of what could be considered food on the counter, she then found out where the cleaning supplies were. Once the fridge was cleaned out and sanitized she put items back and thought it looked even sadder.

Now she looked at the inside of the cabinets. "Okay, lets tackle this next." She hopped up onto the counter and started on the cereal boxes. She reached in and took the first one out, empty and dropped it down to the counter where her knees rested on the tile. The next one was also empty as were the next three. She found one with enough for a bowlful but figured it wasn't worth keeping and dropped that one too.

"Hmm, have I finally found something worth eating?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Holy fuuudge bucket!" Lauren gasped out as she wobbled before jerking backwards with a last second grab for the cabinet ledge or door. She missed and mentally prepared to die on her first day of work.

Instead of slamming backwards on to the hard floor she found herself falling backwards into strong arms. One strong, long arm easily held her up from under her shoulders and the others hand rested on her butt, holding her up nearly even with the counter. She was bent backwards in half, staring up into the face she knew belonged to Loki.

He was grinning down at her, green eyes full of joy at her situation that he was the cause of. "Well hello, darling. What brings such a delicious mortal to such a dismal place?" His black hair was long enough to fall down and frame his face as he looked down into her rapidly reddening face.

Lauren was trying to pull her feet out from under herself. She wanted nothing more that to get them on the floor, she was getting dizzy and wasn't sure if it was the near death experience or the whole experience of being visually consumed by this man. God. His huge hands flexed. Oh yeah. There was that too.

"Um, can you, uh."

Loki grinned showing teeth. "Yes darling?"

"Uh, can you set me down?"

"Yes of course I can." He continued to hold her as she continued wiggling, it was getting uncomfortable as her muscles pulled beyond what they were used to. And of course his hands were flexing. Into her muscles.

Lauren watched him grin at her discomfort and suddenly couldn't help but roll her eyes. She had no idea what she looked like but it had to be ridiculous. She swung her arm up and tried to put her arm around his neck to pull herself up but had to settle for trying to grab at his shoulder without ripping his clothes off. As she struggled she muttered, "God, you're tall."

He laughed, "yes I am." He allowed her tug on him and finally twist herself around in his arms, her face ending up in his chest. Finally she could drag her feet off the counter and drop them to the floor. Still holding on to him she took a deep breath and took a moment to make sure her dizzy spell was over. She pushed loose hair out of her face and took a step back, huffing out, "I'm exhausted."

He chuckled softly under his breath and leaned down towards her, "yes, I have that effect on women."

Lauren laughed then covered her mouth. From behind it she said, "Sorry. You're just a lot to take in all at once."

Loki raised an eyebrow while one side of his mouth raised into a devious smile, "Oh, you have no idea how much I am to-" Here he paused and ran his eyes over her body in an obviously sexual manner. He lowered his voice and his words flowed from his mouth. "Take in." He leaned closer and licked his lips while towering over Lauren. Now he slowly bent down to softly rumble in her ear, "But I promise to go slowly."

Lauren was still, she felt his breath on her neck, she could smell his scent. Something odd like a spicy winter, maybe evergreens and the bite of spearmint. Weird. She leaned back to meet his eyes, they were full of sparks and the promise of something. "Wow. You are good. No, wait. You're like professional level." Lauren smiled at him and nodded her head in agreement with her words. "Yep. Very smooth. Melty chocolate smooth."

Loki straightened up to his full height which was towering over this little mortal. He allowed himself a slight frown at her words. She still was looking up at him with that same open smile that she had worn from the start, her words held no lie in them. However he was uncertain of her reaction, most women blushed furiously or turned coy and played the game with him.

"Are you mocking me, mortal?" His voice was still low however there was an edge to it that both of them could hear.

Lauren's smile disappeared as she reached a hand out towards Loki but she didn't touch him. "No, no of course not. I would never make fun of you. God no." She shook her head and muttered to herself, "Somethings lost in translation." Looking up her face cleared and her smile returned though not as free. "I was just meaning that you were an excellent flirt. Your words were perfect, your tone was really, really," Lauren gave a small grin," I mean really, was nice. The kind that melts a girls bones, you know." She looked into his eyes again and saw a mix of confusion though the humor was fading in them. "Well of course you do, you wouldn't use that tone if you didn't know what it did." She huffed a laugh and took another step back.

Loki took a step forward. This little mortal had captured his attention for the moment. "And yet it didn't, how did you say, melt your bones?" He again leaned down, he wanted to intimidate her, raise her level of fear. Whoever this woman was she would know not to be so at ease in his presence.

"Oh sure it did." Lauren fully grinned up at him now. "It just doesn't mean anything to me." She backed up several quick steps. "You're basically my boss." Lauren held her hand out to him. "I'm Lauren, the new Nutritional Administrator for the Avengers." She gazed up at Loki with an open smile on her face, a hint of a shared moment in her eyes. "Otherwise known as your personal chef."

Loki honestly didn't know what to make of this mortal, he'd never garnered a reaction from a woman like this before and it unnerved him slightly when something didn't behave as it should. He also didn't like her familiarity with him even though he was certainly at fault for that. Therefore he arched an eyebrow and his face was swept clean of all of its previous jesting and good humor as he peered down at her frostily. "I am Prince Loki of Asgard, mortal." He looked at her hand dismissively and she lowered it.

Lauren removed the smile from her face as she nodded, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Loki." She was aware that something she had said had drastically changed his entire demeanor. Having no idea what that could be she realized she needed to switch into a more professional mode even though he was the one who had been the one to take it into an HR nightmare.

"You may address me as Your Highness." Loki had no idea why he continued to engage with the mortal. He should have left as soon as she had finished her irritating mindless chattering about his voice. And yet he had been so curious what she would say next.

Lauren heard that imperious tone and slipped her professional face totally on even though it was far from what she was feeling on the inside. She met his eyes and gave him a nod. "Of course, Your Highness." 

Loki stared at the woman who continued to meet his eyes, her face a smooth mask of indifference. He was impressed with her for not backing down from him despite how it also annoyed him. He felt that despite her words there was more going on behind those eyes. He let the words slip out as he turned and walked away, "You have fire, little mortal."

"Why thank you, Your Highness." Lauren rolled her eyes.

Loki forced himself not to turn around and reengage with the woman. He might find it entertaining for a few moments more however he was finished with mortal females for the day. He had spent the night with several and wanted to wash their stench off of his body, it had already been on him too long. He would bathe, sleep and begin again.

Lauren watched Loki enter the elevator and disappear from her morning. She let out a deep breath with a huff of laughter. Her head dropped to the counter and she once more found herself enjoying the cool against her face. "Ooh girl, you have got yourself into a handful of a mess." A bubble of laughter came up as she stood up enough to lean her elbows on the counter and rest her forehead in her palms. 

"Hey J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"Yes, Miss Lauren?"

"Add dark chocolate to his royal highnesses shopping list."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren makes lunch and Loki makes tea.

The rest of the morning went by in a blur of inventorying the appliances on the counters and inside the cabinets. Lauren wondered if someone had simply gone down a list of kitchen appliances and purchased one of each. And in couple cases, two. Once she had an idea of what could be prepared with the equipment, she went shopping. Which for todays meals meant J.A.R.V.I.S. went shopping, placing the order Lauren dictated based on her list of everyone's preferences.

It was several hours later that groceries began being delivered from several different locations. She rapidly put away everything that wasn't going to be used for lunch, she had decided that burgers were the easiest. She only had to grill the burgers, everything else could be added by the individual. To go with them she sliced potatoes for thick-cut fries then decided to make potato chips when she remembered she had the slicer plus the double sided deep-fryer. For a vegetable she made a salad with several house made dressings, then sliced fruit since Clint claimed he didn't like vegetables.

By the time the elevator opened again it was already past noon, and Lauren had thick patties just waiting to be grilled. She made them using a recipe she knew made the burgers taste like steak burgers, she'd never gotten a complaint. Trays of lettuce and sliced tomatoes were plated and chilling, while ketchup, mayo and mustard were just waiting in their squeeze bottles. A bottle of steak sauce sat beside them as well.

It was Bucky who came out of the elevator, wearing a thin, well worn sweatshirt and pants paired with boots, he appeared to have come from a shower. His hair was still damp with his sweatshirt absorbing the water from the ends. He stutter-stepped when he saw Lauren as if he had forgotten about her. He looked around to see if there was anyone else with them on the floor.

"Nope, just us, you're the first of my lunch rush." Lauren waved him over with a welcoming smile. "Come on over and place your order."

Bucky gave a very faint smile, more like a twitch of his lips as he moved carefully across the room and hesitated before sitting down on a stool at the kitchen counter where the stove top and grill sat. He looked around at the stacks of plates and the deep fryer on the counter.

"What's on the menu?" He nervously rubbed at his arm with his metal hand then dropped the hand self-consciously, hiding it below the counter.

"Burgers, cheeseburgers if you want. Fries, chips, salad, fruit." She opened the fridge and took out the two dozen premade patties she'd covered with wrap and left in the fridge. The grill had already been on low, now she turned up the heat. "Just let me know how you like your burgers."

"Um," Bucky shrugged. "Cooked."

Lauren grinned, "Sounds like a good place to start. How do you like your steak?"

"Oh, uh, rare? Medium rare?" He looked uncomfortable. "Sorry, I'm not really used to someone cooking for me, like this. I mean, for just me." He looked even more uneasy.

Lauren nodded, "It is kind of weird for me too." It wasn't, but she wanted to put the poor guy at ease, he looked ready to bolt and she didn't want to lose her first 'customer' of lunch. "But as long as you're willing to have patience with me, I think I can get through it." She placed her hand several inches above the grill, counted off in her head to determine the temperature then slapped a burger down where it sizzled. "So, fries, chips or both?"

"Uh, both?"

"A man after my own cholesterol count." She dropped a large handful of each into the dual sided fryer. "Salad? Fruit?"

"Um, yes?"

Lauren grinned at the man, "I was hoping you would say that. Now I get to practice everything on you. And you get to tell me how everything is." In less than a minute she had a small salad plated, the dressings sitting in front of him along with a bowl of chilled mixed fruit. The burger was flipped then both fries and chips settled on a large plate. After she placed a bun next to them then asked, "Cheese? And what kind?"

Bucky looked at the plate of various cheeses that were waiting to melt over the wonderful smelling patty. He had no clue what they were, "Pick one for me." He was desperate.

Nodding Lauren grabbed a slice and settled it over the burger, "We can start with cheddar on this one. Next one you can see if you want to try swiss." After a few minutes more she slid the patty on the bun she had lightly toasted. Then she placed the plate in front of him with a grin, "There you go, my first customer of the day."

He stared down at the plate of hot food and took a deep sniff, "It smells amazing."

"Thank you." She motioned to the end of the counter, "Silverware, napkins and drinks down there. You can eat here or at the table. Whichever you prefer."

Bucky glanced over his shoulder at the table, "Uh, I think I'll just stay here. If you don't mind?"

Lauren shook her head, "Not at all."

The elevator opened and this time it was Steve who came out. Yawning he covered his mouth, he had obviously just woken up, his hair was smashed on one side while the other still looked perfectly combed. He noticed Lauren and for just a moment he appeared to have no idea who she was. He paused in his steps but then continued as his memory returned. A lazy smile came over his face as he also noticed Bucky.

He took a seat at the counter, an arm dropping around Bucky's shoulder, "What 'cha eatin'?" His Brooklyn accent came out in his tiredness, he covered another yawn.

Bucky's mouth was full so he just waved the burger around while pointing to the rest of his plate. He slapped at Steve's hand that snagged a chip but let his friend keep it.

Crunching the chip Steve grinned at Lauren with a nod. "Mornin' ma'am."

Lauren grinned at his words, "No ma'am here. Just me." She waved at the food waiting to be prepared. "So, how do you like your burgers?"

Over the next several hours the rest of the Avengers filed in, and in various stages of waking they all settled at the counter. Once one finished eating they gave up their stool to someone else, finally groaning from all the food they had eaten and lowering themselves to a couch or over stuffed chair. 

It was a good feeling for Lauren, she enjoyed preparing meals and had worked hard to become good at it. She was cleaning the kitchen when Steve asked about this.

"How did you decide to become a chef?" He was nursing a bottle of grape soda, she'd found a brand that had been around when he was a kid. It was now a small branch of a larger company but it had its own small, loyal following, one of which was now Steve Rogers.

"I've always liked cooking, I did the cooking when I was a kid." If there was more to the last part of that statement, she didn't elaborate. "I was amazingly fortunate that I was able to get into a high school that focused on real world job training. So while I was getting my high school diploma I was also getting four years of culinary school. When I graduated I was certified and qualified to work in a kitchen."

She started the near silent dishwasher then began handwashing some of the appliance pieces. 

"I thought you were young for this kind of job." Clint called out from where he was slouched down in one of the large leather chairs. He wore jeans and had the top button undone.

Lauren nodded, "Yep, its always interesting when I say how long I've been working." She finished washing the last of the pieces and set them in a large drying rack then grabbed a towel to wipe her hands dry.

The elevator doors opening stalled any more conversation as everyone turned their attention to see who was arriving. From the back of the elevator Loki came out. 

Dressed in what must pass as casual Asgardian clothing, he wore the black leather pants and long sleeved, dark green tunic with effortless style. He continued his striding forward, his steps unfaltering despite the silence and everyone's gaze following him.

With a smooth growl in his tone he observed, "My, don't you all look," He gave them a disgusted look, "Bloated."

Lauren watched as Clint rolled his eyes while most everyone else shook their heads, huffed with irritation or pursed their lips. Obviously the group was used to this type of insult. Loki continued on and as he got closer to the kitchen Lauren asked, "Can I make you lunch? Burgers are on the menu."

Loki's nose crinkled as if he smelled something rank, "I don't consume," He paused to make the revolt in his tone clear, "Burgers." He took a kettle from the counter and proceeded to fill it from a water dispenser tucked in a corner on a side counter. He set it to boil on a stove burner then began gathering items for tea.

"Well can I make you something else?" Lauren kept her tone light.

Loki turned his head to stare at the woman. She was persistent, he would grant her that much. "No." That one word was pronounced like an order. "I doubt you could properly create anything I would find edible."

Steve spoke sharply, "Loki."

The god turned abruptly to face the Captain who had seated himself back at the counter. "The mortal asked a question of me and I answered it."

"She has a name, Loki." This time Steve's voice proclaimed his annoyance.

Loki gave him an unfriendly grin, "I'm sure she does." While he set out a delicate tea pot and a matching cup with saucer on the counter he continued speaking. "I simply don't care to know it. Or to use it." He moved to a cabinet to chose his tea from a wooden box.

From where he sat Clint announced to the room, "That's because you're an asshole."

Lauren had been standing at the sink, her back pressed against the counters edge as she watched and listened to the conversation that was going on around her but didn't require her participation. She saw Loki's antagonism of everyone as his way of not having awkward silence surround him as he made his tea. She could be wrong, maybe he really was just an ass but she also remembered that he had been teasing towards her when it was just the two of them. Now when Loki looked at Clint with a snarl on his face she spoke up before something bad happened. "Hey, it's okay. I am a mortal. So it's not like he's trying to insult me with the truth."

Loki glanced sharply at the woman, if she was disrespecting him he would make it clear to her there were consequences. He didn't care who was in the room with them. He saw her catch him looking at her and she gave him a wink along with a smile that held no fear.

"Right? Your Highness?" She remembered and now her lips twitched.

Was she teasing him? Loki felt himself give her a grudging thought of surprise at her audacity. Few people were comfortable teasing him after just meeting him. Actually, only Thor would dare tease him. No one else wanted to. "Tread carefully, woman."

"Jeezus Loki." Steve pushed out with exasperation.

To everyone's surprise Lauren gave a huff of laughter and she slapped a hand over her mouth as she tried to stop. It took her a couple seconds and she looked between Steve and Loki as she struggled. Still with a grin she said, "Sorry. I just found it funny, the whole Jesus and Loki together. Totally different religions." She shook her head while waving her hands as though she would wipe away the last few seconds. "Sorry, sorry." She didn't look the least bit sorry. Under her breath she mumbled but Loki still heard her, "I'm just weird."

The water kettle began to whistle and Loki turned the heat off. He set a tea bag in the pot then poured the boiling water over it. Everyone seemed enthralled with watching him as he prepared his drink, the sounds were the only ones heard. Finally he was done, he had taken his time, obviously not allowing any discomfort the others might be feeling to rush him in the least. Once he was finished he picked up the tea pot along with the cup and saucer and just vanished.

Lauren jerked back, her upper body the only part that could go past the countertop. "Whoaa." She leaned forward to reach a hand out so she could wave it through the space Loki had just been occupying. "That's, that's," She glanced at Steve, "Wow."

He shook his head, coming close to rolling his eyes. "Yeah. Wow. That's Loki. I'm sorry about his behavior. He's just, well-"

"An asshole!" Clint yelled while standing up, stretching his arms above his head and going up on his tiptoes. He walked over to Nat who was sitting in the chair on the other side of a small table between their chairs. He reached out a hand which she took and he pulled her to her feet.

Steve glanced at Clint with a disapproving look then turned back to Lauren. "Yeah, kinda. I just wish you didn't have to meet him like this for the first time."

Lauren opened her mouth to tell them that this wasn't the first time she had met him, that they had met much earlier in the morning but she didn't. Instead she shrugged, "Well he wasn't lying. I am mortal and I am a woman. So I'm not going to be insulted by the truth. Now, if he lies about me, well, then its on."

Steve gave her a smile, "I'm just glad you're taking this so good. Hopefully he'll be occupied for the rest of the day."

Lauren nodded, "well, I certainly have enough to keep me busy till the end of my shift." She looked the group over, "Don't forget dinners still coming up."

There were groans as they proclaimed they couldn't eat another bite. As the floor slowly cleared of everyone, Lauren watched them go. She knew she would be making dinner then leaving it for them to eat whenever they chose, she would be gone by the time anyone would be hungry. As far as a first day she had to admit that despite being tossed in at the deep end this morning, the day had gone really well. She was looking forward to tomorrow, which was a good feeling. A very good one.


End file.
